Open Access<p>Aptamers as Versatile Ligands for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications</p>
Author(s) -
Baozhang Guan,
Qizhou Zhang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of nanomedicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.245
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1178-2013
pISSN - 1176-9114
DOI - 10.2147/ijn.s237544
Subject(s) - aptamer , nanocarriers , drug delivery , targeted drug delivery , nanotechnology , systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment , drug , biosensor , nanomedicine , computational biology , pharmacology , chemistry , medicine , materials science , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , nanoparticle , rna , gene
Aptamers are a class of targeting ligands that bind exclusively to biomarkers of interest. Aptamers have been identified as candidates for the construction of various smart systems for therapy, diagnosis, bioimaging, and drug delivery due to their high target affinity and specificity. Aptamers are accounted as chemical antibodies that can be readily linked to drugs, sensors, signal enhancers, or nanocarriers for functionalization. Use of aptamer-guided medications, especially nanomedicines, has resulted in encouraging outcomes compared to those use of aptamer-free counterparts. This article reviews recent advances in the use of aptamers as targeting ligands for various biomedical and pharmaceutical purposes. Special interests focus on aptamer-based theranostics, biosensing, bioimaging, drug potentiation, and targeted drug delivery.